>>Freeborn County Sheriff Continues to Investigate Deadly Shooting in Alden
(Alden, MN) — Authorities in southern Minnesota are still investigating a shooting in Alden that left one man dead and three family members injured. Freeborn County sheriff’s deputies responded to a disturbance at the home of Dave and Shari Peterson on Wednesday and found their 47-year-old son, Joshua, with gunshot wounds to the chest. He died of his injuries at a hospital in Rochester. Dave and Shari were taken to the hospital with blunt force injuries, and their son, Jason, was treated for minor injuries. Investigators say all three were questioned and released. Law enforcement has not identified the alleged shooter.
>>St. Cloud Man Kills Girlfriend and Unborn Child
(Foley, MN) — A St. Cloud man is facing murder charges after allegedly stabbing his significant other to death Tuesday night. Prosecutors have charged 26-year-old Saleebaan Mohamed Abdirisaaq with four counts of second-degree murder. According to the criminal complaint, Abdirisaaq called 911 around 11:30 p.m., saying someone had died and he wanted to surrender. Police arrived to find Abdirisaaq waiting at the scene. Inside the apartment, officers found 24-year-old Falus A. Ali of St. Cloud on the floor with a large amount of blood and a blood-covered knife nearby. She had suffered 34 stab wounds, including several to her neck. Ali was taken to St. Cloud Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Doctors confirmed she was 17 weeks pregnant; the unborn child did not survive. Court records show the couple’s three-year-old son witnessed the attack.
>>Road Worker Killed by Dump Truck in Work Zone in Maple Grove
(Maple Grove, MN) — A Wisconsin man is the victim in the second work-zone-related fatality on Minnesota roads this week. The State Patrol says 25-year-old Adam Smith from Seymour (SEE’-mor) was struck and killed by a dump truck while working in a construction zone on Highway 610 in Maple Grove, Thursday. Another construction worker was killed in an accident in Burnsville on Wednesday morning. State troopers say 29-year-old Pierre Mack of St. Paul was in a work zone on 35-W and was hit by the boom of a piece of construction equipment that was backing up.
>>State Lawmaker Raises Questions About Health Department Hires
(St. Paul, MN) – Republican Representative Jeff Backer from Browns Valley is questioning the Department of Health’s job postings for two new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultants at salaries of more than $100,000 per year. Backer is the Co-chair of the Health Finance and Policy Committee. Backer says that with Minnesota facing a $6 billion deficit and millions of dollars lost to fraud, waste, and abuse, the focus needs to be on fixing these problems and protecting taxpayer money. He added, “The Department should be focused on cleaning up fraud and delivering real value for taxpayers, not growing bureaucracy with positions Minnesotans don’t want.”
>>House Ag Democrats Upset over Hunger Survey Cancellation
(Washington, D.C.) – House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig has joined a group of Democrats demanding answers after a key survey on household hunger in America was cancelled. The Household Food Security Report has provided data on hunger for decades. Craig says this cancellation comes after the Trump Administration has already made the most significant cut in history to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which more than 42 million Americans rely on for food. The letter from Democrats states they want the employees who collect this data to be reinstated in their jobs.
>> More Minnesota Counties Partnering with ICE
(Undated) — A growing number of Minnesota counties are partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Sherburne, Kandiyohi, and Freeborn counties already have long-standing contracts to house federal detainees, agreements that generate millions of dollars annually to support jail operations and facility upgrades. Since President Trump began his second term, seven additional rural counties in Minnesota have signed new agreements with ICE. Two of those counties already had existing jail contracts in place. The latest deals include incentives such as salary reimbursements and bonuses for local departments that assist in immigrant arrests.
>>Black Crowes Drummer, Minnesota Radio Host Gorman Joins Supergroup
(Minneapolis, MN) — Former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman is joining a new supergroup with Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish and R-E-M bassist Mike Mills. They’re called Howl Owl Howl and are releasing a new single on Halloween. Gorman moved to Minnesota in 2023 to become the morning host on K-Q-R-S radio in Minneapolis. He’s also been drumming with local all-star group Golden Smog. Howl Owl is kicking off a mini tour in Indianapolis on November 3rd and in Chicago on November 4th.
